Zara is reopening its shops in this country after a two-year hiatus

Fashion brand Zara is returning to Ukraine two years after shutting its doors due to an invasion by Russia. Zara's owner, Inditex, has told the landlords in Ukraine that it will reopen its stores starting in April this year, according to a report by Financial Times (FT).

Several companies shut their doors in Ukraine as well as Russia two years ago but many of them are now returning. This includes another fashion brand, H&M.

The FT report said that Inditex is currently planning to reopen 50 out of its 80-plus stores. The Spanish company owns several other brands like Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti and Bershka brands. All of these were shut down in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the day Vladimir Putin announced a full-scale invasion of its neighbouring Ukraine.

However, despite shutting the stores, Inditex continued to pay taxes and wages for its 1,000 Ukrainian employees. It also continued to maintain the rental contracts during the closures.

In the first phase, Inditex will reopen 20 stores in the country, including three Zara outlets. Eventually, 50 stores would be reopened. However, it is unclear how long it would take.

Last year in October, Ukraine's foreign minister told local media outlet European Pravda that the ministry was working on bringing several retail brands back to the country. These included Ikea, H&M, and Zara, among others. H&M reopened its stores in Ukraine in November last year.

Earlier in 2022, McDonald's reopened some of its restaurants in Ukraine. In September last year, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his American counterpart Antony Blinken went to one of McDonald's joints in Kyiv. 

"I think having McDonald's in the country is a message: a message of confidence...This is how the comeback of McDonald's started - in the phone conversation. And this is why we're here tonight," said Kuleba.